Auxiliary gasoline feed tank



July 14,. 1925. 1,545,997

C. R. ASKREN ET AL AUXILIARY GASOLINE FEED TANK Filed May 23, 1923 inventor Tank Craig R. flskr n L66" E K Patented July 14, 1925.

1,545,997 PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES CRAIG R. ASKREN, LEE ECK, AND EUGENE W. WAY, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

AUXILIARY GASOLINE FEED TANK.

Application filed May 23,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CRAIG R. Asxnnn, Lien Box, and EUGENE W. W AY, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of the city of Seattle, in the county of King and State of 'Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Auxiliary Gasoline Feed Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention rela es to a device which constitutes an auxiliary gasoline supply and feed for motor cars, and has for its principal object the provision of means where by an auxiliary gasoline supply will be automatically brought into action when, from steepness of grade, the normal source of supply of gravity-feed systems has been so lowered that it will not furnish gasoline to the carburetor. 1

It also has for its object to provide certain safety features for use in connection with gasoline feed systems which will prevent draining gasoline from the storage supply if for a time the car be left heading downward on a grade sufiiciently steep to cause gasoline to flow from an opening which normally functions as an air vent.

Our invention is particularly designedas an improvement upon the device shown and described in the application of Craig R. Askren and Lee Eek, Serial No. 599,002, filed November 4, 1922.

The features of our invention which we. desire to cover by a patent will be hereinafter defined by the claims. The accompanying drawings are illustrative of the principles of our invention and show the same in a preferred form of construction.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the relative position of the parts which are involved in our invention, in a gasoline system of the type referred to. I

Figure 2 shows in detail the preferred form of construction for these parts.

Figure 3 shows in detail a form of connection which may be substituted for one of those shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows in section a type of check valve which may be used in the device.

In Figure 1 the main gasoline storage tank is shown at 1. A pipe 2 leads from his to the carburetor 3. Te have not shown in connection with this the parts of the engine or the construction of the carburetor, as these may be of any type of construction, and our invention has nothing essential to do 1923. Serial No. 640,836.

with the carburetor or the engine. The pipe 2, leading from the tank 1 to the carburetor, is shown as provided with a valve 10 which should be of the type of construction shown 1n Figure 2, or the equivalent thereof. This valve is one which is capable of maintaining free connection between the tank and the carburetor, of draining the tank when dcsired, and of cutting off connection between the carburetor and the tank. This may be done with an ordinary three-way valve such as is shown at 10 in Figure 2. The plug or turning member ll thereof is of standard type of construction. Any other type of valve or valves for this place which will accomplish the results stated may be substituted for that shown.

In the pipe system connecting the tank with the carburetor, should be inserted a check valve to prevent back flow of gasoline from the carburetor to the tank 1. This might occur when the inclination of the car is such as is indicated by the broken line 12 of Figure 1, this indicating the relative position of a horizontal line when the car is pointing upwardly on a steep grade. Under such conditions gasoline contained in the auxiliary tank 4: would tend to flow back into the main tank 1 unless stopped in some In accordance with the device shown in the application above referred to, an auxiliary tank ,4 is provided, this being located forwardly of the carburetor and normally at about the same level therewith, preferably slightly below the carburetor when the car is sitting'on a level surface, and parts are at their normal relative levels. lVhen-the car is heading up a steep grade, locationof the auxiliary tank 4 forward of the carburetor will cause it to be raised in level-relative to the carburetor so that the contents thereof will flow to the carburetor. This tank will act in exactly the way described in saidapplication, to furnish gaso line s'uffi'cient to run the car'for some distance when the grade is suflicient to lower the main supply tank below the carburetor level. n V

A vent pipe 40 is shown as connecting with the upper portion of the auxiliary tank I. r In a device of this character if the car be'standing upon a downwardly descending grade with the front of the car downward, this grade might be steep enough to cause oil to flow through the auxiliary tankd and out through the vent 40. Such a condition is found where the grade is such as indicated 3y the broken line .3, this line representing casing 3G provided with means whereby it may be connected with the pipe leading to the main storage tank and to the auxiliary storage tank, and also with means for conneetion with the carburetor. This is shown as provided with a ball 31 and seat therefor as 32, adapted to serve as a check valve to prevent back flow of'gasoline to the main tank. A pin as 33, or other equivalent means, prevents escape of the ball and permits it to be removed from its seat. This represents the check valve which prevents back flow to the main tank 1, or the valve 20 of Figurel.

The check valve which is in the auxiliary system, is also shown as associated with the T 30. This consists'of a sleeve 42 having a conical bore 43 at one end, which end is secured to the T' 30. In this is a ball 44 which, in conjunction with the conical bore 43, forms the valve and seat. The angle of the lowerside of the bore 43 upon which the ball 4 rests,is so placed with relation to the horizontal that the ball will, when the car is sitting on a level or heading up-grade, cause the'ball to rollback where it is stopped by a pin 45 or similar means. This valve will seat only when the downward pitch of the front end of the car has exceeded a certain angle, the same being that Where danger of overflow through the vent pipe is near. This action follows from reversal of the angle of the lower side of the bore 43 due to the downward pitch of the roadwhich causes rolling-of the ball against its seat.

e have discovered that the auxiliary supplytank 4, located as described, maybe utilized as an emergency supply in cases where the main tank has been drained dry. If a valve be placed in the supply pipe from the main tank of the carburetor so that the main tank may be cut off from the carburetor, the gasoline may be drawn from the emergency tank 4 for running the engine, irrespective of whether the car is on a level oron a grade. This is due to the fact that the levels of the emergency tank 4 and the carburetor are so near the same that the suction effect required to draw the gasoline end of the car.

into the carburetor is very slight and if the main supply pipe 2 be closed the carburetor will be enabled to draw oil from the emergency tank 4.

In Figure 3 I have shown a fitting 83 in whicha single ball 84 is employed for seating at either end upon the seat 35 or 36 as the case may be. This fitting will act as a substitute for the two check valves previously described, one at each side of the carburetor. The lower surface of this fitting upon which the ball rests is inclined in each direction as'is clearly shown, so that the ball may-normally rest in central position but will flow to either end as the car is inclined. I

In Figure 4 is shown another type of check valve which may be used; The valve member consists of a pivoted flap or plate 5 and a. seat 50, the valve swinging by gravity off its seat except when the car is inclined beyond a certain angle in onedirection.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. The combination with a gasoline feed supply for automobiles comprising a tank and a part supplied with gasoline from the tank and having an air vent normally above the gasoline level of the tank, of a check valve controlling said vent and adapted to be closed by gravity when the car is inclined in the direction to bring the ventbel'ow the gasoline level ofthe tank.

2. The combination with a gasoline sup: ply system for automobiles wherein the gasoline tank is located above and rearwardly of the carburetor and the carburetor is supplied by gravity feed, of an auxiliary gasoline tank located forwardly of the carburetor and having a gasoline supply connection common with that of the carburetor, an air vent pipe connected with said auxiliary tank and a check valve between the carburetor and said air vent adapted to close by the downward pitch of the front 3. The combination with a gasolinesupply system for automobiles wherein the gasoline tank is located above and rearwardly of the carburetor and the carburetor is supplied by gravity feed, of an auxiliary gasoline tank located forwardly of the carburetor and having a gasoline supply connectioncommon with that of the carburetor, an air vent pipe connected with said auxiliary tank, and a check valve insaid air vent normally open when said tankv is full and adapted to be closed by inclination of the car in adirection, which lowers said vent opening below the level of gasoline in the tank. a

4. A. gasoline supply system for automobile enginescomprising a carburetor,.a main supply tank located above and to the rear of the carburetor, an auxiliary supply tank located forward of and belowv the carbure tor, an air vent pipe connected With the lattertanl; and a check valve for said vent pipe normally held open by gravity and adapted to be closed When the forward end of the automobile is lowered materially below its rear end.

5. The combination with a gravity gasoline feed system for automobiles, of an auxiliary tank located adjacent to the car buretor and in communication with its gasoline supply, said auxiliary tank having an air vent extending above the said source of supply, means for cutting off supply communication between the carburetor and the main source of supply of gasoline anda check valve in the air vent adapted to normally be held open by gravity and to be closed by inclination of the car in a direction to raise the main source of supply of gasoline above said vent.

Signed at Seattle, King County, Washington, this 9th day of May 1923. I

CRAIG B. ASKREN. LEE, ECK. EUGENE W. WAY. 

